Video Surveillance Standards
From Public Eye noting that John Honovich at MaxPPS has a post on the status, direction and outlook of security standards. Its a topic that I haven’t thought a lot about, but as John points out it will be an important issue for the second generation (post 9/11) systems.
Over the last few years, the Security Industry Association has developed a program called OSIPS to develop standards for physical security equipment and integration. It is this program and these efforts that are being finalized currently.
These efforts are perfectly timed. It is likely that 80% of the network-based physical security systems were deployed after 9/11. Given an average lifespan of 5 years for computers, the current generation of systems will be ready for upgrades and replacements between 2007 and 2010. At the time, because of a simultaneous increase in the technological efficacy of network systems plus the exogenous terrorist threat, the value proposition of physical security was high. Neither integrators nor security managers seriously considered the problem that a lack of standards would cause in the future.
I believe security managers are now beginning to see the problems a lack of standards causes. Over time, you see that your options for adding other vendor’s systems are severely constrained. You find out that even though you want to interface different subsystems, it cannot be easily done even if you spend tens of thousands on it. You attempt to integrate the newest element of technology only to discover that because of the constraints of your current equipment that it is very costly to do and it doesn’t provide a very easy to use end product.
The benefit is that once standards are adopted and your systems become standards based, the total cost of your systems will easily drop by 25% with a similar increase in the effectiveness of your system. Standards will cause product prices to drop as lock-in effects disappear. Compatibility between systems will cause integration costs to drop dramatically as simple interfaces can be designed between many subsystems. Finally, all of your systems will be able to seamlessly speak to one another. Your ability to rapidly utilize your surveillance and perform investigations will enhance dramatically.
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